Feeling his adrenaline pumping, Sorah leapt into the air and extended the Dawn Sky Crusher as he brought it crashing down towards the central head of the Cerberus Titan.

Whoosh!

“I’ll rip you apart!” Poahf’s distorted voice resonated from within the metallic beast.

With lightning-fast reflexes, she commanded the Cerberus to retaliate. The left head swung across and clamped its jaws down on the elongated staff with a resounding CLANG!

“Grrr!” The Cerberus’ teeth, each as long and sharp as a dagger, dug into the ancient wood, attempting to snap it in two. But the Dawn Sky Crusher held firm, hardened by Sorah's ZenFlow Kana and the Sage Curse's energy.

Poahf growled in frustration. "What is this blasted staff made of? It's like trying to bite through a mountain!"

She redirected her attack, causing the right head to unleash a blast of pink energy – a Kana Beast Bomb – directly at Sorah.

"Zephyr Dash!" Sorah’s form shimmered and blurred as he became one with the wind. He vanished from sight just as the Kana Beast Bomb detonated. Its explosive force ripped apart the ground where he had been standing moments before.

Boom!

The space shook with the force of the blast, causing tremors across the mountain peak. Rocks and debris swirled in the air, obscuring everything in a thick haze.

Thud!

“That was a close one.”

Sorah reappeared on the other side of the courtyard, landing lightly on his feet. He glanced back at the Cerberus Titan, which was now searching for him through the dust cloud, its three large heads were swivelling and snapping their jaws with a frustrated fury.

“I should get a hit in while she’s distracted-”

“KYAAAAH!”

Just as he was about to launch another attack, a bloodcurdling scream pierced the air, coming from inside the temple. Sorah's heart skipped a beat as he recognized the voice. It was Lukio, the young Windweaver who had illuminated their path through the Gepporaptor tunnels.

"No..." he whispered as concern washed over him. “I need to assess the situation.”

Without taking his eyes off Poahf, he activated Wind Sight. His awareness extended outwards on the pathways of the wind, penetrating the stone walls of the temple and revealing the scene within.

What he saw sent a chill through his old bones. The Cloud Portal was still incomplete and the Cloud Stones lay scattered across the floor with their ethereal glow extinguished. The Rice Guru was still working assiduously to mend them. And amidst the wreckage, Duke Theodore stood arrogantly at nearby pillar with his Aether Pistol held in hand.

Two towering figures, the Rock Gator Titan Avatars, were battling Brokk, Plutak, Bishane, Lukio, and the other Aerithrans who were able to fight. The Aerithrans had the advantage in numbers, however, their attacks were seemingly futile against the Titan Avatars' impenetrable metallic hides and devastating power.

"Damn it," Sorah cursed under his breath. He had been so focused on his battle with Poahf that he had failed to anticipate the Duke's intervention. They must have covertly slipped into the temple from an inconspicuous entrance. Either way, this was a bad situation, one that required his expertise…

Whizz!

Sorah's momentary distraction proved costly. Sensing his lapse in concentration, the Cerberus Titan seized the opportunity and launched a metallic boulder studded with sharp spikes. The projectile hurtled towards Sorah with incredible speed.

“Huh!”

At the last possible moment, Sorah deactivated Wind Sight and threw himself to the side, narrowly avoiding the boulder as it slammed into the ground where he had been standing.

Boom!

The earth shook as a result of the hit, and Sorah tumbled over the dusty surface.

He rose to his feet while glancing at the temple entrance. He had to get to the others, to help them fight off the Duke and his Imperial Guards. But how? Poahf’s Cerberus Titan was locked onto him, and its power was overwhelming.

"Thinking of going somewhere, old man?" Poahf scoffed from her Cerberus Titan form. "I know the Duke is torturing your allies, but you're not finished with me yet!"

“Tsk, I don’t have time for this.”

Sorah ignored her taunt and sprinted towards the temple’s entrance with his staff held firmly in his hands. He knew it was a risky move, but he had no other choice. He had to reach the others, no matter the cost.

"You’re DEAD!!"

With its enormous claws ripping into the earth, the beast surged forward, pursuing Sorah. Its three heads whipped about, attempting to devour him.

Chomp! Chomp!

Sorah’s ZenFlow Kana was giving him added boost to evade the Cerberus’s devastating maw. ‘Almost there. Just hold on a bit longer you guys.’

Boom!

As he neared the temple entrance, a figure dropped from the sky, landing before him with a resounding clamour that kicked up a cloud of earth.

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“What the-”

When the dust settled, Sorah's eyes almost popped out of their sockets. Standing before him with a muscular body radiating a powerful aura of emerald-white TerraFlow Kana, was none other than Vice-Marshal Commander Kahless!

"We meet again, old man," Kahless said with a menacing grin. "This time, I won't let you escape my grasp."

“Vice-Marshal Commander…”

Sorah's mind became frantic as he assessed the situation. He was now trapped, sandwiched between Kahless and the Cerberus Titan, two formidable opponents with overwhelming power.

‘How did he get here? Could the warden have contacted him earlier?’ He had no time to ponder these questions. He had to act, and he had to act fast.

Swish!

He quickly flipped backwards, creating some distance between himself and Kahless. But as he landed, the Cerberus Titan behind him lunged forward, snapping its claws at his heels.

Chomp!

Sorah barely managed to dodge the attack by twisting his body to the side and narrowly avoiding the creature's razor-sharp claws.

"You're surrounded, old man! There's nowhere to run." Kahless’s voice resounded with sadistic pleasure.

"Perhaps," Sorah replied calmly, though his heart was pounding like a drum. "But I'm not finished yet."

He raised his staff, ready to face his opponents. The odds were stacked against him, but he would not give up. He would fight to the bitter end to ensure the others made it through the portal safely.

A bead of sweat trickled down Sorah's cheek, tracing a path through the dust and grime that caked his weathered face. It reached his chin, hung precariously for a moment, then splashed onto the parched earth below.

In that split second, Kahless exploded into motion. With a powerful kick, he propelled himself forward. He was leaving streaks of TerraFlow Kana behind him as he closed the distance between himself and Sorah. He reached out his right hand and closed it around Sorah's head with a vice-like grip.

"You're mine now, old man," Kahless growled as he slammed Sorah's head into the ground with brutal force.

Boom!

The impact sent shockwaves through Sorah's body, and his vision blurred as stars danced before his eyes. He could feel the grit and dust grinding against his skin as Kahless dragged his face across the unforgiving earth, leaving a trail of raw, exposed flesh.

"Gah!" Sorah groaned, struggling to break free from Kahless's grasp. But the Vice-Marshal Commander's strength, amplified by his TerraFlow Kana, was overwhelming.

"Pathetic," Kahless spat, lifting Sorah into the air with one hand. "You're weaker than I thought."

He appeared above Sorah in a blink, still radiating emerald-white energy as he brought both fists crashing down upon the old master's chest.

Boom!

The impact sent Sorah hurtling towards the ground once more. He was slammed against the earth with a sickening thud.

To make matters worse, Kahless was descending upon him with a devastating axe kick aimed at his skull.

Time seemed to slow for Sorah as he saw the attack coming. His ZenFlow Kana screamed at him to evade, to flow like the wind and avoid the direct confrontation. But his body was sluggish, his movements hampered by the relentless assault and the encroaching exhaustion.

In a desperate act of defiance, he raised the Dawn Sky Crusher horizontally before his chest.

Boom!

Kahless pressed down on Sorah firmly, sinking him into the earth. The ancient wood was groaning under the strain of the hulking pressure.

"Kahless, leave some of him for me!" Poahf's yelled suddenly. "I want to taste his bones!"

"As you wish, my dear Warden," Kahless chuckled, grabbing Sorah's ankles and flinging him upwards towards the waiting jaws of the Cerberus.

"Die, old man!" Poahf roared as the three heads of the Cerberus Titan unleashed a trio of Kana Beast Bombs that was converging upon Sorah.

Sorah's face paled as he saw the oncoming onslaught. With a desperate surge of willpower, he extended the Dawn Sky Crusher and also expanded it to form a shield that blocked the blasts.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The explosions rocked the air, and Sorah felt the staff vibrate violently in his hands. He gritted his teeth, straining his muscles as he held the shield in place.

But his respite was short-lived. Kahless materialized beside him and lashed his foot out with the force of a battering ram.

Wham!

The kick connected with Sorah's side, sending him tumbling below. He crashed against the mountainside and bounced and rolled until he came to a stop at the base of a grassy area.

“Gah!”

While spitting out blood, Sorah groaned and pushed himself to his feet. His vision was blurry, and his body ached from the relentless assault. He could feel the Sage Curse screaming to be unleashed in unrestricted format, its corrosive influence gnawing at his will and sanity.

“There he is!”

Before he could catch his breath, a group of Sand Devils charged towards him from behind with their faces twisted with a thirst for vengeance,

"Get him!" yelled one of the soldiers brandishing a Aether Sabre.

"He's mine!" another hollered.

Sorah turned to face his numerous attackers. He raised his staff, ready to defend himself, but he was flung backwards all of sudden due to the Sage Curse clouding his mind. It truly wished to consume all of him.

"Tsk," he muttered, barely managing to deflect a blow that would have cleaved his skull in two.

Clang!

“Stay clear, we’re going to fire!”

Rhamus and Kratos, piloting their hulking Battle Mech suits, joined the fray. They fired explosive projectiles at Sorah that rocked the mountainside and sent showers of debris raining down upon him.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

"Die, you Aerithran scum!" Kratos unleashed another volley of missiles.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Sorah was deflecting a few of the projectiles with his staff. But he was overwhelmed, the attacks were coming too fast and too furious.

Clenching his teeth, he yelled "Cutting Gust!" a last-ditch effort to escape the onslaught.

Whoosh!

His form shimmered and blurred as he became one with the wind. Sorah transformed into a swirling vortex of blades that sliced through the Sand Devils with ease.

Slash! Slash!

“Kyah!”

The soldiers screamed in agony as their armour was rent apart and their bodies slashed and torn.

Boom! Boom!

Kratos and Rhamus, caught off guard by Sorah's sudden transformation, attempted to activate their emergency ejection protocols. But it was too late. The Cutting Gust ripped through their Battle Mech suits, causing them to explode in a shower of sparks and molten metal.

"Gah!" Kratos screamed as he was thrown from his suit. He landed with a sickening thud on the rocky ground.

"Damn you!" Pain was evident in Rhamus’s voice as he too was ejected from his mangled suit.

Swish!

Sorah materialized amidst the defeated foes seconds later with residual wind blades cutting around him. He stood there for a moment, breathing heavily. The Cutting Gust subsided, revealing his exhausted form.

"You... you're a monster!" one of the Sand Devils whimpered, clutching his wounds as he crawled away in terror.

Sorah ignored him and fixed his gaze on the distant figures of Kahless and the Cerberus Titan. Until those two are taken care of, the battle was far from over.

"You useless bastards!" Kahless's hollered hotly across the battlefield. "Stay out of my way! I'll deal with this old man myself!"

He bent his knees like a spring and leaped into the air. He was liken unto a blur as he soared towards Sorah.

"I don't need my Vayrukumer to crush the likes of you," Kahless said with a cruel smirk as he landed before Sorah. "My overwhelming TerraFlow Kana alone is enough. Observe!"

He lunged forward and fisted Sorah in the gut with the force of a battering ram.

Oof!

Sorah stumbled back, gasping for air as the wind was knocked out of him. Before he could recover, Kahless followed up with a swift punch to the face, sending Sorah sprawling to the ground.

"Gah!" Sorah groaned as he tasted blood. He had underestimated Kahless's speed and strength. The Vice-Marshal Commander was far more formidable than he had anticipated.

‘He was holding back during our first encounter,’ Sorah realized with a jolt of fear. ‘But why?’